The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is an advocacy group that works with the federal and state governments to shape and implement health-related policies. The group receives government funding, including $69,732,095 in 2024, which accounted for nearly 93 percent of its revenue that year.  ^{1  1}

Background

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is a charitable and advocacy group that works with the federal and state governments to shape and implement health-related policies. ASTHO claims its work includes capacity building, policy statements, and legal analysis for health authorities of state and territorial jurisdictions.  ²

The group has several affiliated local councils and organizations including the Association of Health Facility Survey Agencies, Association of Immunization Managers, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, Association of Public Health Nurses, Association of State and Territorial Local Health Liaison Officials, Association of State and Territorial Public Health Social Workers, Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, National Association of State EMS Officers, National Association of State Offices of Minority Health, National Association of Vector-Borne Disease Control Officials, National Coalition of STD Directors, National Public Health Information Coalition, and Safe States Alliance.  ³

Activities

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) claims it has been involved in addressing health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, the 2001 anthrax attacks, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the H1N1 influenza outbreak.  ^{4  5}

The group promotes the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity, stating it helps to “build a culture of health equity at the programmatic and organizational level.” ASTHO also, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, established the Eliminating Structural Racism to Achieve Health Equity Policy Academy, a program which ASTHO claims is aimed at helping state jurisdictions to “address institutional and structural racism to advance health equity.”  ^{6  7}

ASTHO also has resources on its website called climate and health, which are aimed at addressing potential health concerns from “rising temperatures, increased occurrence and magnitude of natural disasters, expanded vector-borne disease patterns, to increased transmission of waterborne diseases.”  ⁸

ASTHO advocates for increased access to contraceptives in general as well as for comprehensive sex education curricula for students through the 12th grade.  ⁹

Funding

According to its 2024 990 tax forms, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) reported $74,995,897 in revenue, $75,376,132 in expenses, and $18,777,230 in total assets. That same year, the group reported $69,732,095 in government grants, which accounted for nearly 93 percent of its revenue that year.  ¹

According to USA Spending, ASTHO has received over $608.9 million in federal grants. The largest awarding agency was the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  ¹⁰

In 2024, the Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund gave $25,000 to ASTHO.  ¹¹

In 2022, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave $241,371 to ASTHO.  ¹²

Between 2018 and 2022, the W.K Kellogg Foundation gave a total of $1,460,000 to ASTHO.  ¹³

In 2020, the Skoll Foundation gave $500,000 to ASTHO for its “COVID-19 response.”  ¹⁴

In 2020, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation gave $150,000 to ASTHO.  ¹⁵

In 2018, the Rockefeller Foundation gave $50,000 to ASTHO.  ¹⁶

People

Joseph Kanter is the CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Previously, Kanter worked as a clinical associate professor at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, as medical staff at the University Medical Center New Orleans, and as a state health officer for the Louisiana Department of Health.  ¹⁷

Scott Harris is the president of ASTHO. He is a state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health. Previously, Harris was the medical director of the Decatur-Morgan Community Free Clinic.  ^{18  19}

Manisha Juthani was the president-elect of ASTHO as of late 2025. She is an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Medicine and a commissioner for the Department of Public Health for the State of Connecticut.  ^{20  21}

1. “Association of State and Territorial Health Officials,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2024. Page 1 Part I Lines 12, 18, and 20; Page 9 Part VIII Line e. 
2. “Policy & Advocacy.” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/advocacy/. 
3. “Joint and Affiliate Councils.” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/about/partnerships/astho-councils/. 
4. “Astho History.” ASTHO, November 17, 2021. https://www.astho.org/about/history/. 
5. “Opioid Preparedness: Disruptions in Access to Prescription Opioids .” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/topic/population-health-prevention/social-behavioral-health/overdose-prevention/disruptions-in-access-to-prescription-opioids/. 
6. “Operationalizing Equity.” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/topic/health-equity/operationalizing-equity/. 
7. “Eliminating Structural Racism to Achieve Health Equity Policy Academy.” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/topic/health-equity/eliminating-structural-racism-policy-academy/. 
8. “Climate and Health.” ASTHO. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.astho.org/topic/environmental-public-health/climate/. 
9. “Astho Legislative Prospectus: Reproductive Health.” ASTHO, December 5, 2023. https://www.astho.org/advocacy/state-health-policy/legislative-prospectus-series/2023/reproductive-health/. 
10. “THE ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS.” USAspending.gov. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/b96ce9f2-fd87-f7d1-cd92-08d47a69b86b-C/all. 
11. “Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2024. Schedule I. 
12. “Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2022. Page 11 Part XIV. 
13. “W.K. Kellogg Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Page 11 Part XIV. 
14. “Skoll Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2020. Page 11 Part XIV. 
15. “Jacob & Valeria Langeloth Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2020. Page 11 Part XIV. 
16. “Rockefeller Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2018. Page 11 Part XIV. 
17. Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH – chief executive officer at Association of State and Territorial Health Officials | Linkedin. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-kanter-md-mph/. 
18. Scott Harris – State health officer & physician executive | linkedin. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-harris-66b53926/. 
19. Astho. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.astho.org/globalassets/pdf/bios/alabama-sho.pdf. 
20. Manisha Juthani – Commissioner, Department of Public Health, State of Connecticut; professor adjunct in infectious diseases, Yale School of Medicine; president elect, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) | linkedin. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-juthani-b247946/. 
21. “Board of Directors.” ASTHO. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.astho.org/about/governance/board-of-directors/.